Acts of dissent are not unusual in China.
Over the years, sudden, local explosions of defiance have been triggered by a range of issues – from toxic pollution to illegal land grabs, or the mistreatment of a community member at the hands of the police.
But this time it’s different.
There is one subject at the forefront of Chinese people’s minds, and many are increasingly fed up with it – prompting widespread pushback against the government’s zero-Covid restrictions.
This has come in the form of residents smashing down barriers designed to enforce social distancing, and now large street protests in cities and university campuses across the country
Dispatches From The Front 